Regional fair to get boost from RCEP

▶ China, ASEAN more closely integrated in economic partnership

Representatives from countries attending the 17th China- ASEAN Expo ( CAEXPO) see the just- signed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ( RCEP) deal as a fresh driver of trade and investment for the region, with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson hailing “golden decades” of trade ties between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN).

Despite the lingering COVID- 19 pandemic, China will launch the four- day expo in Nanning, South China’s

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Friday, on the heels of the signing of the RCEP deal, a historic trade pact that forms the world’s largest free trade zone.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, the expo will have 5,400 booths, with 803 of them run by foreign entities. Entities from ASEAN member countries total 574. There will also be 1,581 companies participating via online showrooms.

Trade between China and ASEAN member countries jumped to $ 641.5 billion in 2019 from $ 292.8 billion in 2010, promoting mutual prosperity during what can be described as a “golden decade” of trade ties, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

The 17th CAEXPO will provide trade opportunities for both the demand and supply sides in the region, and facilitate promotion of hard- hit regional cooperation, Shen Minghui, secretary- general of the Center for APEC and East Asian Cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Attendees at the expo said the RCEP deal signed on November 15 will further promote trade and investment in the region.

The signing of RCEP marked a win over protectionism and in the region, and it represented a symbolic step forward into free trade and open markets, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia Lim Ban Hong said at the press conference on Thursday.

“As a result, RCEP member countries can build stronger supply chains, diversify the materials and resources used in production, and minimize the cost of goods. In general, the RCEP has created a better investment environment for the whole Southeast Asia region,” said Lim.

Lim said that China’s development vision for 2035 will be the impetus for the economic growth and recovery of the entire Southeast Asian region.